cursorcan

Cursorcan is a fictional cross-platform protocol and library designed to unify the handling of cursor-based input across devices and interfaces. It defines a standard data model for a cursor, including an identifier, position coordinates, motion vectors, and state flags such as hovering, dragging, and selecting. The Cursorcan protocol delivers an event stream that conveys cursor movements, button actions, wheel or touchpad gestures, and region-enter/exit events, enabling consistent behavior in applications and environments.

Origin and scope: The term combines “cursor” with an indication of capability and adaptability. Cursorcan originated in a collaborative effort among UI engineers in the early 2020s to reduce fragmentation in cursor APIs and to improve accessibility for users with alternative input devices. The project emphasizes platform-agnostic design and extensibility for future input modalities.

Architecture: Cursorcan comprises three layers. A device layer abstracts hardware sources—from traditional mice to styluses, touch, eye-tracking, and other controllers. A protocol layer serializes cursor events in a compact form (binary or JSON) and supports version negotiation, session management, and optional security features. An application layer SDKs consumes the events and provides utilities for rendering cursors, interpreting intent, and building responsive interactions. The model supports multiple concurrent cursors and context-aware mappings that can trigger actions based on region, state, or gesture.

Adoption and impact: Prototypes and reference implementations exist in various toolkits, with some adoption in experimental desktop and web projects. Advocates argue cursorcan reduces API fragmentation and improves accessibility, while critics caution about potential performance considerations and the need for broad consensus to achieve interoperability.

See also: input devices, cursor API, accessibility, human-computer interaction.